Bed restless

So I had to spend a few days in the hospital again. I had been having a recurring pain in my chest for several days. Nothing major, just a sharp pain that would then disappear. It was strong enough to make me gasp, but just as quickly it was gone. And there were no other symptoms. But finally I decided I better get it checked out, since I have a pacemaker that is not yet two years old.

So it was off to the emergency room. One thing about possible heart problems, you get jumped to the front of the line. Come on back! So they did blood work...inconclusive. So they took an EKG...inconclusive. So a little later they did a CT Scan. Again...inconclusive. Then the attending physician in the ER decided it would be best to admit me for further tests.

That is how I came to be admitted to the hospital while feeling fine other than an occasional sharp pain in my chest. I was there for about 3 days (2 nights). And I was bored. My family came to visit as much as I wanted, but they would end up appearing bored. I wanted to be about my life, but here I was stuck in the hospital. The nurses and doctors were almost all fine. The lab techs were all great. Orderlies, interns, support staff, everybody did their jobs well.

However, my first roommate was terrible. Any small thing set him off on a loud, profane rant. Day or night. But they finally discharged him (he wanted to stay) and I got a new roommate. He was fine. He was having breathing problems and spent most of the time asleep with an oxygen mask on.

They did several stress tests on me. Since everybody getting stress tests were heart patients there was no jumping the line. And I even had a PT Scan. Nothing to see, so might as well go home. I was glad to be discharged, though I still get that pain occasionally. But at least I know its not my heart.

When I was in the hospital a couple of years ago I was kept in the ICU the whole time. I never went to a private room. The day after my pacemaker was put in I was discharged. So this was my first experience with being a patient in a regular hospital bed. I didn't mind my first stay in the ICU. It was so busy there that I didn’t seem to get too bored. But feeling restless and being stuck with wires all over you in a bed for three days is not my cup of coffee (I hate tea).